Faded Coat of Black
by Kuroneko Hikage
Summary: No more the bugle calls the weary one. This one-shot is awarded to SeishinNaruto 10922 for being the 100th reviewer for my story Untitled Preface. She selected the pairing: Ichigo/Naruto. Warning: Character Death.


A/N: This one-shot is awarded to SeishinNaruto 10922 for being the 100th reviewer for my story Untitled Preface. Please keep in mind that this is my first ever crossover pairing from different fandoms. Inspiration for this story comes from the song "Faded Coat of Blue" by Jolie Holland, so look up the lyrics if you like. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Ichigo belongs to Tite Kubo, and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and not meant for any sort of profit.

 **Faded Coat of Black**

 _"I gaze over the hill where he waved a last adieu_  
 _But no gallant lad I see, in his faded coat of blue."  
(-Jolie Holland)_

If there was any part of the day that Naruto loved the best, it would have to be early morning, just an hour or so after dawn when fall was on the cusp of turning into winter. The air was cool, almost cold, the sky was smoothly overcast with a gray blanket of clouds, and the vegetation was crisp with frost. Naruto was always outside at this time of year, and this morning was no exception to that rule. With a cup of coffee, and a tree stump to sit on, he was in a place of euphoria, both mental and physical. This was his life, and he wouldn't have it any other way. There were no regrets, no worries; nothing but the sound, sight and smell of nature, the animals were his only companions for acres in every direction.

Or so he thought until a loud boom echoed throughout the woods, originating behind him. He had enough time to turn around a catch a plum of black smoke in the near distance before he was thrown to the ground by a mini earthquake, spilling his coffee in the process. When he could stand again he spared his coffee a slight pout, hoping that the pot inside his cabin was still intact for a refresher. It was good coffee and therefore a shame to waste. Whoever was responsible would get a proper beating for that travesty, there was no getting out of it.

After brushing the dirt off his clothes, he went into the house's main closet and reached for his gun, a black military issued handgun that every soldier in the army was gifted, and ran off in the direction of the smoke. Careful not to crash clumsily through the brush like all the television actors seem to do, he made his way there slowly on silent and well-trained feet. Muscle memory seized his body as he kept himself hunched and tensed as he moved, holding his firearm in a proper grip and pointed at the ground until he absolutely had to use it. It scared him realizing that no matter how far he physically ran away, his past training would never leave him.

Coming up to the origin of the loud crash, he pushed himself up against a mossy tree trunk and brushed away the branches obscuring the field ahead. First thing that came into his sight was a horribly disfigured plane, as black as the smoke rising from it, and he could hear mechanical sputtering as it whirred noisily to try to keep itself running. The second thing he noticed was actually several in number; bodies of men and women sprawled across the ground. There was debris everywhere, but after a quick look around he deemed it was safe enough to move in. Naruto pushed himself forward toward the nearest body laying face-down in the dirt. His limbs were twisted, mangled, and as soon as Naruto's fingers touched his skin, he knew that the man was dead, but he made sure to check for his pulse properly, anyway.

The body after him was that of a woman, her neck oddly angled and lifeless blue eyes stared up into the sky. Dead. The closest man to her had a long pipe sticking out of his gut, but his body was still warm to the touch. He probably died while Naruto had been on his way over. He walked to each crew member, declared them dead, and moved on, counting no survivors. The next task was to shut off the plane's engines, which could blown up at him any moment and start a fire. Attracting more unwanted guests was not an option, and neither was dying, so he hurried to the bent-out-of-shape doorway and went inside.

Stumbling through the destroyed aisles, and declaring even more people dead, it took him a while to reach the front of the cabin and the pilot's cockpit, but it had seemed to be an unnecessary adventure; the engines died completely right as he was at the door. Naruto huffed a sigh of annoyance.

"These things are so unpredictable and outdated... I can't believe they're still using them! It's a wonder this thing hasn't blown up yet." He kicked the wall next to him. "Stupid machine! I can make a cardboard plane that flies better than you..." He kicked the wall again and turned around to leave.

"Ugh..."

He'd only taken a step, but he immediately froze as that soft groan fluttered into his hearing. Someone was alive? He looked around the seats, trying to see if it was one of them, but no one was even so much as twitching.

"Huff..."

Heavy breathing, coming from the other direction. Turning back around, he made his way to the pilot seats, looking over them quickly. The co-pilot was halfway out the plane's window, but the pilot himself... Orange hair was dyed red with blood, every pore on his skin permeated increasing volumes of sweat, and his eyelids were fluttering, as if they were stuck mid blink.

"Shit," Naruto said as took hold of his shoulder. "Don't strain yourself, dumb-ass." He received a groan in response as the man fell back into unconsciousness. After checking his wounds to make sure he was fit to be moved, Naruto unclasped his safety belts. Some of them were broken already, others were partially tattered and jammed, so he had to use a pocket knife to cut them off. Next, he made sure there was a clear path to the exit, pushing debris and rubble out of the way so he would be able to carry the pilot outside without any hindrances. He was the only one to survive this crash, so once he got him to his house and resting, there was nothing much more he could do for him. He knew basic first aid and how to set broken bones, but he was a far cry from a real doctor.

"Fuck, this is gonna be a long day..." Using every muscle he could, he pulled the dead weight of the orange-haired man onto his back, grunting as the man's chin made harsh contact with his shoulder. "I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you," he griped, "and you owe me more coffee." With that, he made his slow way towards home.

 **-OOOOO-**

Once he had the pilot(Kurosaki, Ichigo from what he could make of his dog tags) tucked into bed with cleaned wounds and fresh bandages, Naruto took a look at the man's uniform. Black and military-issued, something he knew quite well, and he had no trouble discerning the various pips and pins decorating the jacket. There was one on the shoulder indicating his pilot status, a few on his neck determining the rank in his unit, and a minuscule line on his other shoulder that was meaningless to the untrained eye, indicating he was also a part of a secret branch, the same branch that Naruto, himself had been from.

"Special Ops Unit, eh?" He fingered the embroidered line. "That brings back memories."

Mentally whisked away down memory lane for a moment, the good and the bad, he shook his head to clear it and went over to his nearby desk, hugging the jacket around the back of the chair. It was a small loft house with his bedroom and bathroom upstairs, only connected to the bottom floor by a steep open staircase leading to the living room, kitchen, and front entry. It was the perfect size for a single man living out in the woods, but with this guy's sudden intrusion, Naruto felt like it was a suffocating invasion. He felt as if his house had shrunk, even though the A-frame space was very open and accommodating. It was going to be weird sleeping on the couch(it happened only once or twice before), and it made him feel so unpleasantly uncomfortable having someone else take up his bed, but he was going to soldier through it. It's not like the stranger was going to mooch off him for long, he planned to have him back on his feet and out of here within a week, but until he could go on with his hermit-like life, things were going to be awkwardly different for him. It's been a couple weeks since his last interaction with people, but he could remember the last time someone spent the night.

Brushing the dirt off the shoulders of that military jacket, he then left the man alone to get some rest, intending to return to the crash site to at least cover the men and women who died there. He didn't want to bury them until he was sure if the man in his bedroom wanted to take them with him of not. There was no doubt that their families would want to bury them, but in Naruto's experience, the government could care less. He didn't have many sheets, but he would spare what he could to keep the elements from damaging them too much. He stopped by the kitchen, thankful that the coffee pot wasn't broken, just tipped over, and put on a new pot to brew. After getting a thermos filled along with some meat and cheese packed into a tiny cooler, he left.

The blond spent the rest of the morning gathering the dead in three groups and fitting the sheets around them, tucking the ends under their bodies. He had just enough length to cover them all, but he went the extra mile and secured them against rocks and branches so that the wind wouldn't blow the fabric away. Amidst his rock duties, there was a slight rustle, and Naruto looked up to see a red fox come out of the trees and sit at the edge of the crash site. He smiled at the creature.

"Nice to see you again, Kyuubi. It's been a while." The fox said nothing, merely scratching its ear with a back paw as its tails swished behind him. The animal visited him enough times to warrant a name, and he named him after a horrible beast in ancient lore with nine tails, the exact number this fox had. But he knew that this beast wasn't like that, the name went nicely with his cuteness.

Naruto returned to his work, nearly done and wanting to eat soon. "Sorry if you got startled by the noise. The plane went out of control. Stupid things." The fox tilted its head at the contraption that disturbed its peace, but didn't say anything. Naruto didn't expect him to, wild animals could never comprehend the human language. "It's nearly lunchtime, isn't it?" He fitted another rock into place. "Don't worry, little guy. I'll be done soon."

The fox lazed around while Naruto finished. Standing up and taking off his gloves, he surveyed his work and double-checked that every inch of skin, hair and cloth were covered. Kurosaki was lucky to be alive, but the survivors guilt might tell him otherwise. Naruto knew what kind of thoughts and feelings were going to be in store for him. He was still trying to deal with his own past, and it wasn't something he liked watching other people go through, either. The rehab clinics the government set up were far from adequate in his eyes, and he never wanted to experience them again.

A loud yip brought him out of his thoughts and Naruto looked over at the fox in apology. "Sorry. You're hungry, aren't you?" Walking over to a large tree trunk that had been broken by the crash, he put his gloves on the log and reached up for his cooler. Kyuubi trailed up beside him, tails twitching in excitement as the smell of raw meat wafted under his nose. "Here you go, buddy," he said as he tossed a piece of meat his way. The fox caught the large chunk in mid air and began eating vigorously.

They sat on the ground next to each other, Naruto occasionally throwing pieces of meat to his companion as he munched on cheese and drank the rest of his coffee. About half an hour there was nothing left in the cooler, and Naruto scratched the beautiful fox behind the ears before he made his trek home, inviting the fox to come along if he wanted to. After checking on Kurosaki, who was still asleep, he went out back to chop up some wood in preparation for winter. It was fast approaching and he hadn't started anything yet, because of a certain someone. Kyuubi joined him in the backyard, laying down by a tree at the edge of the forest to take a nap while Naruto chopped logs into fourths and stacked them by the side of the house.

He didn't take another step into the house until evening, and the moon was a quarter into its track across the sky. Kyuubi had long ago disappeared back into the depths of the woods, and although he didn't get all of his chores done, the blonde man still felt slightly accomplished despite the morning's delay. He trudged through the door, only just remembering his guest enough to not let the door slam behind him and catching it with ease before it slammed against the frame like it usually did. After a long, hard day of physical exhaustion he needed a shower, a change of clothes, and food, most likely in that order. First, Naruto took off his boots and kept them in the entryway, not really wanting to track mud into the house. He could hose them off later. He set his shirt, pants and socks next to his boots, letting them stay there until he was done with his shower. There were two things he could do; wash and dry it tonight, or leave it to pile on tomorrow's workload.

Way too tired to do anything else on his feet, he left it for tomorrow. Now only in his boxers, he could at least minimize the mud he dragged across the floor to damp footprints. Climbing the stairs proved more difficult than he had anticipated with wet feet, but he prevailed and was able to tiptoe to his closet without disturbing the man on the bed to grab some clothes and then disappear into the bathroom.

Once all of the dirt, grit and sweat rolled down the drain he felt a million pounds lighter. The spray of hot water worked out some of the kinks in his body, his posture wasn't as stiff anymore, and he sighed in gratefulness. After toweling himself off and getting dressed, he walked out of the bathroom as quietly as he could so he wouldn't wake the man in his bed. It wouldn't do him any go if he didn't get enough rest. Putting his dirty clothes in the hamper to be done for laundry, he climbed down the stairs(wiping them off as he went) to the kitchen. He made himself tea, as well as a light dinner of beef soup and buttered bread, then curled up on the couch. Not even five minutes passed with his head on a pillow before he was well-traveled into a dream.

 **-OOOOO-**

The next morning, Naruto was woken up by someone yelling at him and shaking his arm roughly. "Oi! Wake up! I have questions for you!"

He was a deep sleeper, so he was used to being woken up this way, but he had never been woken up by this particular voice before, and it startled him enough for his reflexes to kick in. Slapping the hand away, he rolled off the couch in the opposite direction and stood in an attack-ready stance that would make most people backing off in fright. His assaulter merely rose an orange eyebrow, and seeing that this was the injured man from yesterday, Naruto slowly came back to his senses and stood up straight.

The man - Ichigo, Naruto corrected himself mentally - put his hands on his hips and stood at his peak height, which was only an inch or so taller than him and gave no intimidation whatsoever. "Finally. I've been trying to wake you up for the past couple of minutes. Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

Yes, he did know that, but it had been eons since he actually slept with anyone in the same room. Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yeah, so what?" Sasuke had always teased him about it, so he was understandably testy, but the other man just shrugged.

"Just an observation." He shook his head. "Anyway, that's not the point. Listen, I need to find out what the hell happened. Who are you and where's the rest of my unit? I need to contact headquarters right away and give them a report."

Getting really offended, now, because the man was asking all these questions, Naruto pointed and glared at him. "Hey! Where the hell do you get off demanding all these things of me? It's polite to give your name first before you ask others theirs! Where did you grow up, Rudesville?"

He sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Karakura, actually. Fine. I'm Captain Ichigo Kurosaki of the Ninth Division Air Fleet. Now tell me who you are and what you've done to my team."

Turning away, Naruto kept his arms crossed. "Naruto, and I haven't done anything to your team."

"Then where are they?"

Sighing, Naruto made his way into the kitchen. He was going to need a cup of tea for this. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Ichigo followed him. "We were flying low and on reserves toward enemy territory for a mission." He sat down when Naruto pointed to a stool. He wasn't going to say anything about that top secret mission, Naruto knew he wasn't enough of a fool to do that, so he went about fiddling with the tea bags as Ichigo continued. "Next thing I know, we are spiraling out of control into this environmental zone. I don't even know what caused the crash."

After filling the kettle and putting it on the stove, he got two mugs down from the cupboard and set them on the counter gently. Now he had to wait, and in the meantime give Ichigo the bad news about his subordinates. He sat on a stool on the opposite side of the counter, facing him. "This morning, I felt the ground shake violently and saw a great plume of smoke. When I ran towards it, I found your crash site." His fingers laced together as he tried to school his features. "I'm sorry. Everyone was dead. I thought you were, too, until you moved. You are the only survivor."

For a few moments, Ichigo's face was a stone statue as the information sunk in. Naruto didn't really say anything else, giving the man as much time as he needed to be silent. It was so quiet that Naruto jumped when the kettle's whistle pierced startlingly in their ears, and he quickly attended to their teas.

When he set the cup down in front of him, Ichigo held it with both hands as he stared deeply into it, as if it had all the answers for him. "I will give them honorable memorial services. I will take the blame and apologize to their families personally."

Naruto snorted. "Yes, because we both know that the government won't do anything about it. They'll tell them that their loved ones passed away in a mission, pat them on the back, then tell them to get over it so they can send their next offspring into battle." Naruto took a sip of his tea. "I know how they work. It's always up to their teammates to be the compassionate ones."

Ichigo frowned at him, not liking that answer, but he was having a hard time denying the man's claims about their cold-hearted government. It wasn't a big secret, the public knew very well that the government didn't take good care of their soldiers, but it was still sort of hard to hear out loud. But this hermit seemed especially knowledgeable about such politics, and that made him a bit weary, and a bit curious. "And what do you know of the military?"

Smirking behind his cup, Naruto rested his elbows on the counter. "I know enough about the military to decipher that you are special ops." He laughed as the other man's eyes gave him a mistrusting glare. "It's embroidered all over your jacket."

"The only people who know about that are black ops themselves."

Sighing for what seemed to be the hundredth time, Naruto leaned back slightly and nodded. "I was part of black ops, Captain of an Anbu squad, before I came here."

Ichigo's eyebrow lifted. "Spending all that time in enemy territory must have been hard..." Naruto nodded.

"And you? What branch of black ops did you join?"

Brown eyes dropped down to the table again. "Shinigami."

Naruto didn't say anything more. That was one of the most top secret divisions the government funded. Even saying the word must have put a giant weight on his shoulders. Naruto swiftly finished his tea and went about making something to eat for them. The pilot must be starving, so a couple jam and cream cheese bagels should be light enough.

Setting a plate and some jam in front of him, he tapped a tan knuckle to get his attention. "Eat. I'll take you to the crash site if you are well enough to move around, but I don't want you to overdo it. Okay? You just survived a plane crash."

Not really having the energy to argue that he didn't need to be coddled, because he really was hungry and he really wanted to go to the crash site to where his comrades mostly were, Ichigo nodded and set about slathering jam into his bagel.

 **-OOOOO-**

"So, why did you decide to join black ops?"

Ichigo snorted, following the blonde man slowly with his walking stick. He wasn't a hundred percent yet, and the stick helped keep his balance. "You should know more than anyone that no one joins black ops voluntarily."

"My mistake. Why did they recruit you into black ops?"

"Why does anyone get recruited to it? Probably the same reason they did for you."

Naruto held aside a branch as Ichigo passed by. "How very astute of you to notice, but not all people in black ops have a gift; most but not all."

"So what's your gift?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Ichigo gave him a dubious look. "That's a loaded statement. You do realize who you are talking to, don't you?"

Naruto laughed. "Okay, Okay. Just promise you won't laugh." After receiving a nod, Naruto told him. "I can take on animal attributes."

"See? That wasn't stupid at all. I would love to take on the form of an animal."

The blonde man shook his head. "No, I don't transform into an actual animal, just some of their features and abilities. Like if I need something at night outside, I can shift my eyes into a nocturnal animal's eyes, but the rest of me will remain human."

"Ah, I see... But that's still pretty cool."

Genuinely surprised, Naruto stopped walking and stared at him. "Really?" He could believe it. The only people who didn't make fun of him back in the military days were Sakura and Sasuke, his teammates. And while Sasuke occasionally teased him, in never got out of hand or to the point where Naruto felt bad about himself. They both had known his abilities, and he theirs, so when it came to missions, things got serious. They were able to plan and pull off missions successfully because of that. That never happened with any of the other teams he had been on. It happens even now, walking into town is a bit stressful because of all the animal jokes.

Ichigo frowned at him. "Is that so unusual for me to think so? You can't help it. Your gifts are a part of you, your genetic coding, you can't change that. Just like I can't change the fact that I can see and communicate with ghosts."

His own misery momentarily forgotten, Naruto got up close to him. "Seriously? How the hell did you get that awesome power? That's totally not fair!"

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo put his hand on the other man's face and shoved him away. "It's a family thing."

Naruto frowned and walked with him. "Was all of your family in the military like mine?"

"Yep. Father, mother, my two sisters."

"Special Ops?"

"Where else?"

"Heh," Naruto chuckled. "Go figure."

Taking his time to step over the root, Ichigo poked his shoulder. "What about your family?"

"Dead."

"I'm sorry."

Naruto shook his head. "Don't be. The government said father died a hero, and you know how hard it is for them to praise someone like that, so I believe them, but they wouldn't say anything about my mother. I had to find out from a perverted uncle of mine that she disappeared in the middle of a mission and never returned. Poof! Like smoke dissipating into thin air."

"That's harsh, man. Sorry."

For the second time, he shook his head. "You didn't kill them, so stop apologizing. I've learned to get over it."

Both of them kept silent on the rest of the trek towards the plane. The forest was dense and branches were in the way, but Naruto held them aside for the injured man, as well as helping him stay steady on his walking stick. If he looked like he was getting too tired, he made him has a break on a rock or trunk. Being healthy and uninjured, they would both be able to get there in ten minutes, but because of Ichigo just getting out of bed this morning, it took more like twenty minutes to get there.

Stopping at the edge of the clearing, Naruto stayed there, sitting on the fallen log from earlier and waiting as Ichigo went on ahead. The guy deserved a moment with his team, and the look on his face clearly said he needed to be alone. He watched as the orange-top sat down in the middle of them and began to talk in a voice so quiet, Naruto had to strain his ears without morphing them; first apologizing about the plane crash, then telling them not to worry, that he would inform their families, then about nonsensical things. Naruto wasn't quite sure what he was saying because by then he dosed off into a light nap.

 **-OOOOO-**

"Oi, Naruto! Wake up!"

Naruto rolled over, muttering. "A few more minutes..."

"Hey! You gotta wake up! It's important!"

Naruto shook his head. "Shut up, Sasuke-bastard..."

"Sasuke? Who's that?"

Realizing now that it wasn't Sasuke trying to wake him up, it wasn't the sound of his voice, just his mannerism, Naruto shot up fully awake. He'd fallen over on the log and there was Ichigo with a raised eyebrow. How long was he out of it? Looking up at the sky through the foliage, he realized the sun changed positions and he must have been out for at least a few hours. It had to have been late afternoon.

Pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes to try to chase the sleep away, he groaned. "Sorry. That's how my teammates woke me up when we were in the service." He inhaled, dropped his hands and blinked his eyes open. "What's important?"

Ichigo said nothing more on the subject(for now) and held up his hand. In it were several dog tags. "I gathered these together to give to their families. However, there are only fourteen. I'm missing one."

Still not quite awake, Naruto jumped off the log. "Okay, okay... Don't get so upset. I'll help you look for it. It might have snapped off in the plane or something."

"No, I mean someone is unaccounted for." He gently laid the dog tags onto Naruto's log. "I can't find him among the dead."

This caused Naruto to frown and scratch the back of his head. "I'm pretty sure I got everyone out that was there... Even your co-pilot. I triple-checked!"

"I wonder if they managed to escape..." he pondered quietly, fingering one of the tags. "Even if it were just one person..."

"Who is it?"

"Huh?" he asked, letting the tag go. Naruto humored him and repeated himself.

"Who's missing? If they wandered off we need to find them. They may need first aid."

"Oh... Hanataro. Yamada."

 **-OOOOO-**

After searching the surrounding woods for the rest of the day, Naruto and Ichigo returned to the cabin empty-handed. Though Naruto managed to track him down enough to find his tags, half buried in the dirt on the opposite side of the crash from where Naruto's house was, but they lost the tracks at the river. They followed it for hours before Naruto finally convinced Ichigo to give up. The blonde man made him some dinner, promised to search the other side of the river tomorrow, and then sent him up to bed. Naruto didn't really know what to expect, it was going on day two since the crash, so they might just be on a wild goose chase, but he wasn't going to let Ichigo make himself ill over it. He knew from experience what he needed now was rest.

He curled up on the couch, but it took him a bit longer to fall asleep. He lost track of time when he heard stairs creak behind him. Looking over the the back of the couch, he saw Ichigo approaching, carrying his blanket. He looked tired, but if he was having the same troubles, Naruto probably looked the same. "Can't sleep?" he asked, to which Ichigo shook his head. He got up. "Sit down somewhere. I'll go make us some tea."

Getting up, Naruto watched the other man sit on the chaise across from the couch before he made his way into the kitchen. He had some Chamomile, which should at least be calming to both of them, and it might even help them get to sleep, so after putting the kettle on to boil, he pulled it out of the cupboard. He was running low and would need to pick up some more, which meant a trip into the nearest town. He cringed. There was a reason he liked this solitude away from everyone with just the animals for company. Unless he needed something else, he would rather put it off. It was just tea. He drank a lot of it, but he'd try to cut back with Ichigo here.

Naruto pulled down two mugs as his mind drifted. He was the first person outside of his old special ops team to think that his ability was silly at all, and that he actually regarded him seriously as a fellow military man. That meant more to him than the redhead must have realized. He said it so nonchalantly, like he was stating the weather. Too bad Ichigo could stay longer. Maybe he could have gotten along with him. The only people he was able to live with was his team; Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai.

The kettle whistled, distracting him from the sudden pang in his heart. It still hurt, he realized as he grabbed a towel and took hold of the steaming pot. Ichigo brought up many old scars and pains, and Naruto thought he was ready to face them, but now he knew that that wasn't the case, and he took a small breath to try and relax as he poured the hot water into their cups. He couldn't break down just yet. Putting the kettle back onto the stove and switching off the burner, he dipped their teabags into the mugs and took both of them by the handles. He needed to calm down, and talking to Ichigo seemed to have worked earlier when they were discussing their power, so what did he have to lose?

The blond handed the hot mug to Ichigo gently, careful not to burn either of their hands in the process, and settled back into his comfy spot on the couch with a blanket over his lap. He could see that Ichigo had also put his blanket around his legs like a cocoon, humming in content as he sipped his tea. Blue eyes watched him for a minute, picking out all the differences in his body language. He seemed mostly relaxed, but there was that military training that made sure he wasn't completely relaxed. His eyes looked tired, fatigued, so it was most likely his thoughts that kept him awake, not excessive energy. As a fellow insomniac, Naruto knew how that went. The guy was probably worried about his missing teammate. They didn't know if he was alive or dead. He was just gone.

Sympathizing with his situation, he had been there on more than one occasion, Naruto took a sip of his tea and spoke. "So... What's on your mind?"

Ichigo tried to cover up his snort with his cup, but he failed. "What isn't on my mind?"

Naruto shrugged. "Peanuts?"

There was a momentary pause, and then the shear ridiculousness that had come out of Naruto's mouth made both of them laugh.

"You're an idiot," the orange-top said, though he couldn't hide the smirk.

"So I've been told." His teammates used to call him that all the time when they were still young and freshly recruited. Even after years of service, the nickname stuck.

Another sobering moment passed by, this one lasting longer than before with each of them taking small sips of their teas and fishing around in their own heads. The silence wasn't awkward at all, and Naruto was surprised by how relaxed he was starting to feel. Maybe in another time, Ichigo could have been one of his teammates. He certainly had their mentality when it came to Naruto and his powers. Ichigo wasn't like other people, so just maybe they could be friends.

"Hey..." Naruto's head was down, staring into his tea, so he had to pull it back up when Ichigo called for his attention. "A lot is on my mind, but I think the one that's taking up the most in my head is Yamada... If we find him and he's dead, what am I supposed to tell his boyfriend, ya know?" He set his tea down on the end table next to him. "I won't be able to bring his body back. I won't be able to bring him his tags."

The former soldier knew what he was getting at. The tags were the only things the government worried about, because if Ichigo returned without them, they would be issuing a search until they found them. Special Ops was different from regular soldiers. Part of their family DNA was encoded inside the metal along with their special power, and if someone from enemy lands took it or if the owner lost it, their policy was to terminate your existence. If they were already dead but not in enemy hands, they would bring a massive number of troops in to search for it and give it to the next of kin in hopes that someone else with that power would join the military. To say that Naruto didn't agree with those rules was an understatement, he'd quite literally been sick to his stomach when he found out. Boyfriends and lovers? Sure, they'll get the tags... if there weren't any family to give it to. And as far as the government was concerned, there was no love for the gay men and women who served.

"He will have to learn to just accept it. They'll come get you if you are alive, but they'll refuse to take the dead. You and I both know this." Ichigo nodded, melancholy. "I'll help you bury them." He nodded again, and Naruto left it at that. There was nothing else he could offer that would make the other man feel better, and really, he was trying his best, but after living a few years alone, it was a difficult task. But then Ichigo asked something he didn't expect.

"Is that what happened to your unit? Did they all die on you?"

Naruto chuckled. "Oh, the number of times all of my units died... People had a problem taking my ability seriously. Whenever I offered to scout ahead with eyes and ears from an animal, they would shoot it down. That got most of them killed. A few of them took me seriously, but didn't like me. Actually, they hated me, and wouldn't work with me at all. Teamwork was sufficiently lacking. That got the rest killed. But there was one group that I did get along with. They were my unit for the longest time."

Ichigo leaned forward. "So what happened?"

For a moment, he considered not telling him, but with everything that happened to the guy recently, maybe he would need the reassurance of company in his misery. "Sai was killed in a secret mission, and let me tell you that while the guy had no personality, he was a real asshole, but he was warming up to us. Then it was Sakura's turn to go. Rejected harshly from her one true love, Sakura was suffering from heartbreak for three months afterward, until took her own life. Her dog tags, along with a suicide note, were given to her family. They blamed me, and at first I let them, because I believed it was my fault, but I grew out of that. I felt guilt and pain and sadness, but I tried everything I could to the best of my ability to get them together."

There was another pause that allowed them to sip our teas and gear up for the rest. Naruto didn't want to even mention the next person, because it still hurt too much, but if Ichigo was as special as his unit, then he would notice and there would be nothing for Naruto to do but reveal everything. He could always say no and keep it locked inside, but for some reason, Naruto thought that might be the worse option of the two. And sure enough, a couple minutes later...

"And what about that Sasuke-bastard you were mumbling to in your sleep earlier?"

"Uchiha Sasuke. You've heard of his clan."

"A long lineage of policemen, right?"

"Yeah. He went on a murdering rampage."

Ichigo's mouth dropped open. "He did what?"

"You heard me," he said, setting his half-empty cup down next to Ichigo's on the stand. He couldn't drink anymore, not while they were having this conversation. "I tried to get him to stay, at least long enough to all run away, because that was our plan. My teammates shared my views on our cold government, we wanted out, and we were all going to run away somewhere. But then came the horrible death of his entire family."

The orange-top nodded. "I remember hearing about that. It was a warehouse bullet fight, right?"

Naruto shook his head. "Sasuke found out it was the government who arranged it, because there was 'suspicious activity' when his family refused to go into military service. He only survived because we were on a crucial two-year mission behind enemy lines. All four of us were planning on leaving the service. But when we came back, Sasuke was overcome with grief and murdered hundreds. You ever hear of the Leaf Village Firestorm?" Ichigo's eyes bugged out of his sockets. that was a yes. "The government covered it up and said it was a natural phenomenon. It wasn't, not by a long shot."

Thrown for a loop, Ichigo slumped back and slouched down in his chair as reality hit him with a bang. He knew their country was a little on the corrupt side, but this was a whole new level of crap Naruto was telling him. The truly sad thing was that he could believe it, even without asking for proof, he wasn't finding himself questioning it. It was an odd feeling, but even more so was the fact that Naruto was connected in some way or other.

A small "clink" caught his attention and he moved to look at it. Naruto was holding a pair of dog tags in front of him and reaching out his hand he took them and examined them. They were Naruto's. Indeed, he used to be in the Anbu squad. Aren't you concerned they'll come back for this? It would mean death for you."

Naruto shrugged. "I've managed to hide from them for this long. Believe it of not, when I go into town, I get bits of information on them. Six months ago, I hear they were funding a small search for me up in the arctic."

"How long have you been in hiding?"

"About two years now. I think I've got a couple more years until they stop completely."

"My plane crashed here and inadvertently will draw them here. What are you going to do once they get here? I can't let them capture you."

Naruto smirked. "Thanks, but don't worry. I'm Anbu, remember? Besides, they already searched these woods."

Ichigo blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. They believe this hut belongs to a cranky, old hermit who hates people... Which I guess wouldn't be to far off from the truth, but you know." He shrugged. "They saw a totally different person."

An orange eyebrow lifted. "You're strange..."

"Yeah... And you talk to ghosts. We're even." Ichigo laughed.

 **-OOOOO-**

The next couple of days were spent between two different tasks; burying the dead and searching the forest and river for any signs of Hanataro. Unfortunately, they couldn't find any trace of him, no tracks, no blood, scraps of clothing, anything. By the end of the week, when it came time for Naruto to brave the nearby village, they decided to call it quits. Naruto could only surmise that he was carried downstream by the river's current, which emptied into the ocean. There was no way he could survive that. Ichigo confirmed it the next evening, when he had talked to Yamada's ghost. His last memory had been lots of water. Ichigo had said good-bye to his friend and comrade for the last time.

Ichigo didn't really want to go back, but he knew he had to, to protect himself, his family, and Naruto. If he deserted the military now, they would come looking for him, his family would be tortured for information, the families would never know about their loved ones that died in the plane crash, and Naruto was probably in danger every second he stayed there, despite his nonchalant attitude at being found. He had to leave. He had to find the answers himself and warn his family, plan their safe getaway.

The village they went to had a street market, vendors that sold individual things. Ichigo chose that time to slip away from the blonde to find a working radio. It took him a while to find one, but after walking in the opposite direction Naruto was walking, he managed to get a message through to his commander from what had looked like a postal office. He gave him coordinates to pick him up just south of the village, which was a clear, hilly field on the opposite side of the forest the blonde resided in, and a time of pick up. A couple of days should give him enough time the say his good-byes. After sending the message, he paid the old woman at the desk the appropriate price with the pocket change Naruto had given him before they had split up, and went on his way.

When both guys met up again, they were laden with stuff; Naruto with groceries to stuff into his kitchen, and Ichigo with various other this, though he was munching on a bright red apple, and when they got back to Naruto's cabin, he showed him everything he got.

"This is for my little sister, Yuzu. She likes beaded things. And I got this ball for Karin. She always had an interest in sports, so maybe something from a rural setting cut off from the rest of the world might pique her curiosity."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I've played this with the village kids before. It's a great game."

"Oh? I thought all the people here disliked you."

He shook his head. "Just the adults. They find me kind of strange and are a little weary, but I don't think they hate me, otherwise they wouldn't have helped me hide. I just prefer to be alone and have the animals for company, and they humans who don't turn into animals."

"You don't, though. You turn into parts of them."

"Same difference to them. My best friend is a fox, after all."

Ichigo snorted and chuckled at the same time. "Yes, Kyuubi is quite the character." The fox was suspicious of him and weary, and wouldn't come near him unless Naruto was there, but that was understandable, as Naruto was something constant and unchanged, whereas Ichigo was new and possibly a threat. Still, he liked the little guy.

"Come on. Let me show you how to play this stupid game so you can show your sisters."

 **-OOOOO-**

The last two days were harder to get through than Ichigo thought. They managed to get closer, somehow, telling each other their secrets about the battles they've seen, about their comrades, family, and lovers. While Ichigo never really had anyone he cared about, Naruto's only love, his stupid, hopeless, and most likely one-sided love, was dead. Then it came to sparring, teasing, and roughhousing, which on his last night there ended up with them knotted together in the middle of Naruto's bed and breathing heavily. At first it was playful and harmless, something best friends would do. Ichigo could certainly say that Naruto had become a great friend, until he turned his head and saw a whole new perspective on him.

With their bodies in a struggle, Ichigo hadn't noticed until now that their faces were also extremely close. Ichigo caught himself in those blue eyes, mere inches from his own, and what happened after that was a strange mixture of adrenaline, fun and curiosity. And maybe, just maybe, a bit of attraction. And when they kissed, neither of them stopped, nor did they stop when one of them started taking off clothes. No the type of men to be timid or unsure about anything, they threw themselves into the passion, and didn't stop until the moon was high in the sky, both of them passing out from exhaustion.

It was early morning when Ichigo woke up, the sun was still under the horizon, and light was just starting to peak over it. This was the perfect time to get away, as his transport was to come through in roughly an hour. Part of him wanted to stay, to take all of the dog tags and just throw them away and hide here with Naruto in peace, but another part of him knew that he couldn't just up and abandon his family and friends like that. Naruto had no one, not anymore. It was bittersweet, he could hide because there was no one for him to care about. Ichigo both envied and pitied him. He wanted to leave, but he had to get his sisters and father out, too. If he didn't, there's no telling what the government might do to them to get to him. He had to protect them, that is what big brothers did. And his father may not be in the military being the owner of a small clinic, but that didn't mean they were going to ignore him, either.

Ichigo sat up and looked down at Naruto's sleeping face. It was quiet, peaceful, serene, and Ichigo felt a need to protect that, too. Not like his sisters or father, and not like a citizen or comrade, either, because he knew full well that Naruto could look out for himself, and it was something that he had to ponder. He never thought himself as gay, but that was because he never really thought about it in the first place. Last night had been truly enlightening, and it was a wonder memory he would always carry with him. If there was anywhere he would run away to, it would be here, but getting his family here was going to be additionally difficult.

Scratching his head and ruffling his hair, he got up as silently as he possibly could to get dressed. His military uniform was still on Naruto's desk, mostly fixed up from the tatters it had come to be after the crash. Should he wear it? Putting on the pants as well as a button-up shirt, he left the jacket where it still hung on the back of the chair. Naruto could give it back when they saw each other again. He laced up his boots and walked toward the steep staircase leading down to the rest of the open floor plan.

"So, is it about time for you to leave?"

Startled, and almost tripping over his own two feet, he managed to grasp the railing to keep himself from taking a tumble down the steps and he whipped his head back over to the bed, where Naruto was sitting with his arms resting on his knees. "Eh... You're awake?" Naruto just rolled his eyes.

"Obviously." He stretched and got up, completely disregarding the fact that he was nude. "Well," he asked as he searched for his pants on the floor, "are you leaving?"

Ichigo turned away, cheeks slightly burning. "Yeah. They'll be here in an hour."

"Do you have everything you need? You aren't wearing your jacket."

"It can stay here. I'll retrieve it later."

There was a long pause where Ichigo almost turned to see what Naruto was doing, but he responded before he could do so. "Do you have your dog tags?"

"Yes," he said simply as he started down the stairs. "They are on the counter. They won't want anything else, and they will just issue me a new uniform."

Ichigo heard Naruto coming down the stairs behind him. "Okay."

That got him to turn a lifted brow to the blonde man. "Okay? That is all you have to say?"

Naruto frowned and raised his gaze to meet his. "Is there something more I'm supposed to say? You were about to leave without saying good-bye, so I didn't think you had intentions for me to say anything in the first place."

"How did you know I was leaving?"

"Aside from your money being spent on more than what you had in your hands?" Ichigo resisted a blush. "You were going to leave anyway, so that was a prime opportunity to contact them. And we all hate long good-byes, so of course you set it up for them to have just enough time to get here."

The orange-top sighed. "Your idiot mask is very effective."

He smirked. "So I've been told." There was a bit of awkward silence before he continued. "Hey, it's okay. I understand why you have to go back. I just hope that you make it back out later."

The heavy weight plaguing Ichigo's shoulders lifted at Naruto's reassurance. "Thank you. I would stay here, I really would, but I have others to think about."

Naruto nodded. "Family. Friends. Any unfinished business. I get it. You need to get them out and away."

Ichigo nodded again. "I don't know if I can get them all here, but this is where I want to come back to."

"Then I'll wait for you."

Seized by a sudden rush of hope, he asked to make certain. "You will?"

"Well, yeah... I need to give your jacket back. And admit it, last night was fun. You'll probably want to do it again.."

Ichigo laughed. "I'm surprised you can walk."

Naruto jabbed him in the shoulder. "Feel the love."

"I never claimed to love you."

"But I'm so irresistible."

"Maybe just a little."

The both of them stayed silent again, staring at each other as their thoughts roamed. They were neck-deep in their own little world, both of them startled as the sound of a helicopter roared overhead. There was no more time to talk. Ichigo had to leave soon, or else they would probably get suspicious.

"That's my ride. They're a little early, but it's best not to make them wait too long." Naruto nodded and helped him get ready. The tags were put into a cloth, drawstring bag, except for Ichigo's which the blond strung around his neck. Naruto also made them something to snack on during their trek through the forest. Buttered toast in hand with proper boots and jackets, they set out of the cabin.

Walking down the stairs of the cabin, both of them were greeted by the sight of Kyuubi sitting at the edge of the forest off to the side. Ichigo smiled. "Hello, Kyuubi." The fox yipped. "Don't worry. I'll be out of your hair, soon. Take care of Naruto, yeah?" The fox yipped again and disappeared into the brush. Ichigo sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. "I might regret saying this later, but I'm actually going to miss the little guy." Even though the fox never really warmed up enough to him to actually get cuddly like Naruto, he was used to seeing him around all the time. He had hoped his last time seeing him he would be able to, but it was a no-go.

Naruto un-lovingly patted his arm. "It takes longer than that. I have animal attributes and it took me an entire month for him to even take food from my hand. It's not all you."

"Thanks," Ichigo said, not at all assured.

The blonde nodded. "You're welcome."

Reaching the edge of the forest to a grassy knoll just outside of the town, they could hear the engine of the chopper more clearly than before. This was it, their last time seeing each other until Ichigo completed his personal mission of saving the people he cared about most. Ichigo turned to Naruto and cupped his jaw with a warm, tanned hand before leaning down for a kiss that lasted a bit longer than it should have.

"I'll see you later," he promised as he pulled away. "Take care of my jacket."

"Your jacket is fine, but I will try to make sure Kyuubi doesn't destroy it further."

Ichigo smirked. "That's all I ask."

Shouts of the orange-top's name could be heard, and now was really the time for him to go. With one last kiss to his knuckles, Ichigo turned away for the final time and walked toward that edge of the hill. Naruto stayed where he was, watching him go until the grass overtook his head of orange hair. Shouts of joy were echoed throughout the area as the man was found and hurried into the chopper, probably by another unit he knew well of. He made sure to stay just inside the treeline as the black aircraft lifted off the ground and into the sky. If he shifted his eyes and squinted, he could just make out Ichigo's form in the side. He was trying to smile and blamed his lackluster attempt at fatigue, but Naruto knew the real reason why it didn't reach his eyes.

He watched the man, until the helicopter turned and he couldn't watch anymore.

 **-OOOOO-**

A couple months later, two girls showed up at Naruto's door, one with black hair and one with blonde. Perplexed, he asked them what the wanted and was floored with their response.

"Ichi-nii sent us here to hide from that shady government of ours," The black-haired one said, holding up a hand. "Yo." This, he thought, must be Karin if he matched the personality to the sister Ichigo told him about, which meant the other one must have been Yuzu.

At this point, the blonde one stepped up. "Karin, don't be rude!" She then gave Naruto a big smile. "Hello! It's finally nice to meet you Naruto. My name is Yuzu and this is Karin."

He nodded to both of them as he allowed them entry into his house and offered them some tea and food, which after a long week of traveling they accepted his offer. talking with them, he found out that they were the first ones Ichigo managed to hide, saying that he cared about their safety at it was best to stay off the grid. They didn't know exactly what was going on, but they had an inkling that whatever it was, it was bad, and they had no problem staying out of it, only wishing that Ichigo would have come with them.

Naruto agreed with that. He would have liked to see him again, but he probably wasn't able to disappear like them just yet. Still, every day, he had waited on that hilltop. Even as winter came around, he would stand there for a couple hours in the cold watching the sky. Now that the girls were here, things were going to need to be switched around. He would have to find them homes, or cut up some more wood to make additional rooms for them. He gave them a choice of living with him or living in the village, but when Yuzu cringed, it was settled for all three of them pretty easily. They would stay with Naruto. The renovations would have to wait until spring, but for the rest of the winter, they slept on his bed and he did the gentlemanly thing and took the couch. Karin said she didn't mind taking it, and Yuzu said she couldn't, but he insisted.

Karin was a big help with manual labor, chopping woods, and she was proficient enough to help hunt for game or catch fish. Yuzu liked to go shopping in the market and cooked great food. Plus, she was like Naruto in regards to Kyuubi. They warmed up to each other very quickly. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Kyuubi and Karin, who was much like Ichigo. It made him both amused and nostalgic.

In the spring, Isshin arrived, able to get out of the military's ever-watchful eyes. Ichigo had told him he sent Karin and Yuzu here, and they all had a been reunion dinner. Ichigo was still missing, but he would turn up any day, but for now Naruto allowed Isshin to stay with him. After that night, Isshin said he would be staying in the village to help the sick, so Naruto spent a better part of the next day searching for a home for him. The girls didn't want to leave Naruto, and when asked Yuzu said she didn't like the village at night, but even though they would be living apart, Isshin said he would come see the girls every other day or so.

Yuzu, Karin and Naruto didn't finish the house until mid summer, the extra bathroom and bedroom for the girls was completed and furnished with beds, dressers and lights. During that time, every day was fun with the two of them, and he barely noticed time flying by. He didn't remember to go up to the hill every day, and soon stopped going altogether. He didn't even notice until one day he heard Yuzu crying on the kitchen floor.

When Naruto and Karin came in one day to take a break from fishing and grab some lunch, they heard her soft sniffles as soon as they entered the front door despite their bantering about who was going to catch the bigger fish. They rushed over to her, kneeling down on the floor to try and coax her to talk to them. She wouldn't do it right away, only crying as she hugged Naruto around the waist. Not really knowing what else to do, he let her, holding her against him. Karin rubbed her back, too, staying silent until her sister was ready to talk.

After half an hour she sat up and dried her eyes. Naruto joined in rubbing her back. "What's wrong," he asked as gently as he could.

She sniffled as she stuttered out her words. "It's... It's Ichi-nii," she dried.

Naruto frowned. "Ichigo?" She nodded. "What happened?"

"He's... He's n-not coming h-home..."

The blond man looked over at Karin, who merely shrugged because she had no idea what she was talking about, but she looked just as worried as he felt.

"Why do you say that, Yuzu?"

"B-because, he... He was here. He's gone! Ichi-nii is gone!"

She burst into tears again, and this time it was her sister that hugged her close. Naruto sat back in shock. Ichigo was... dead? He spent the rest of that day in shock, even as he helped Karin carry Yuzu into their room and in a chair to the side as they curled up together and cried until they slept. Naruto himself was starting to nod off, and he couldn't determine if he should stay or go back up to his own room, but in his state of indecision, he almost missed sensing the otherworldly presence that suddenly drifted into the room. Knowing that some animals were keen to see things others couldn't, he shifted his eyes until he could see the dim outline of the figure on the other side of the girls' bed.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw the shape turn at him and came closer. He didn't want to say anything and accidentally wake the girls, so he stayed silent, even as a cold pressure came up to touch his cheek, and a wind ghosted his ear.

"Tell my sisters that I'll meet them up in heaven, in a faded coat of black."

 **-OOOOO-**

AN: I must say... Writing this has been... educational. XD And quite a challenge. But here you go, Seishin-san. I hope you like it.


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